1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of laundry appliances, and more particularly, to a menu driven electronic interface system used in controlling the operation of a laundry appliance.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Automatic commercial washing machines have traditionally been operated from stored programs or manually actuated buttons. There is known in the art of washing machines a large number of electronic control systems for washing machines which arrive from the factory with a variety of settings. These settings often include wash temperatures and time settings for the various operations performed by the washing machine. Commonly present in modern washing machines are settings which optimally clean different fabrics. Depending upon the type of fabric chosen, the settings direct the various operations of the washing machine. It is also known in the art to provide on-premise laundry systems with pre-programmed operational cycles. Frequently, these pre-programmed operational cycles are organized into a slate which gives a user a number of different cycles from which to choose.
Because the cycles are pre-programmed at the factory, each machine is particularly designed for a specific environment. Typically, a machine is pre-programmed with cycles relating to types of fabric usually found in that environment. For example, a machine may be programmed with a slate directed to the fabrics found in a home, hotel, hospital, restaurant, or health club. Because the types of soiled fabrics differ in each environment, the slate is specifically tailored to the types of fabric used, as well as typical stains found on the fabrics, in that environment. For example, if a machine is to be used in a hospital, the cycles from which the user may choose are pre-programmed to optimally clean the fabrics typically found in a hospital setting. If the machine was to be used in a health club, the cycles would differ because the typical fabrics and stains encountered in a health club vary from that of a hospital. Therefore, depending upon the expected location and environment of the machine, the various cycles available are preset at the factory or by the installer.
In a domestic washing machine, the cycles are often designed to clean the fabrics and stains usually encountered in the home. Most commonly, one cycle is provided for whites, another for colors, and a third for delicates. In any event, the manufacturer provides the machine with the various cycles pre-programmed. In general, the various cycles can be accessed by a consumer of the washing machine through a series of buttons and/or a rotating dial. When a specific cycle is desired, a user only needs to press an appropriate button, perhaps in combination with setting the dial, on the face of the washing machine to begin the operation. This design, while simple to manufacture and operate, limits the versatility of the overall system to most effectively clean a wide range of fabrics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,704 to Elzind teaches incorporating a microprocessor based control system into a washing machine in order to allow the changing of pre-programmed cycles after installation. The system proposes to replace the pre-existing manual operation push buttons with a module connected to an automatic controller. The controller includes a control circuit which uses a series of manual push buttons. Through the manual push buttons, the user is able to select between various wash programs. The controller also includes a removable and replaceable solid-state memory card which stores multiple wash programs. These memory cards, once inserted into a memory card driver present on the machine, provide multiple wash programs to the machine, allowing the archiving and up-loading of various wash programs. Although the system allows the alteration of various wash cycles programmed in a washing machine, the selection of wash cycles is limited to those present on the memory cards. Additionally, such a system requires external peripherals to add more settings. Therefore, users are limited to the current slate programmed into the machine. In addition, although it may be possible to load other cycles into the machine, it is difficult to change each of the cycles for optimal use in another environment. Additionally, a new slate of cycles cannot easily be loaded into the machine. Furthermore, with conventional washing machines, changing the individual parameters, other than a single wash cycle, is difficult at best.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a domestic washing machine which is manufactured with a variety of washing operations and is capable of taking on supplementary cycle operations at the direction of the user. There also exists a need for a more user friendly system for controlling the operation of a washing appliance, rather than a conventional mechanical button operation. More specifically, there exists a need for an electronic control system which functions to prompt a user, as needed, to input certain washing information in a convenient and concise manner, and then automatically controls the washing appliance to perform the desired operation. Furthermore, there is a need for an electronic washing appliance control system which can itself be programmed to perform various operations in a desired manner, such as following a personal washing schedule stored in the system by the user. Corresponding needs exist in other known laundry appliances as well.
The present invention pertains to a system for programming and operating a laundry appliance, based on selections made by a user. In the most preferred embodiment wherein the invention is employed in a washing appliance, a menu driven display, such as a touch screen, is used to prompt a user for programming inputs, as simple as the type of fabric to be cleaned to the degree or level of soiling, or as complex as the desired water extraction speed and temperature. In addition to prompting the user for necessary programming information, the washing appliance can pause the programming sequence to automatically perform rinse, extract, or dispensing sequences as needed, preferably while displaying a control screen to the user concerning the function being performed.
Additionally, the user is provided with a plurality of menu screens with which to operate and control the washing machine of the invention. Specifically, the washing machine includes a touch screen which allows the user to start the operation of the machine simply by pressing the correct area of the touch screen. The touch screen also gives the user access to a variety of databases, including washing instructions and tips, as well as help information for operating and programming the washing machine.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.